This Is War
by ByakuyaxRenji
Summary: An old friend returns to Hogwarts and to Professor McGonagall to aide in the time of war, and to set right a fifty year wrong. Again I really do suck at summaries.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** Once again these characters aren't mine, they belong to J.K Rowling. Well Amelia Grey belongs to me and I'm using her as an OC to help with this story.

**Author's Note:** Inspired by reading the works of tigertales, I thank you for allowing me to find my muse once again and inspired by 'This Is War' by 30 seconds to Mars. So I'm hoping to make this a multi-chapter fan fiction, not sure how well that will go but I'm willing to give it a go. This will be a Hermione/Minerva fan fiction. As I've said before, comments, reviews etc are welcome. Flames not so much but I don't mind constructive criticism as long as its to the point. This isn't beta'd so all mistakes are my own and that includes spelling mistakes, although I've tried to make sure there are none.

Well I hope you enjoy this first chapter.

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><p>It had been years since I last stepped foot on this most hallowed ground and yet I still wasn't welcomed here, the wards of the great school of Witchcraft and Wizardry barred my entry and yet I wasn't disappointed. I waited as the rain began to fall, the Scottish Highlands providing their typical welcome I knew that she would come sooner or later. The disturbance in the wards might go unnoticed by the Death Eaters that now resided in these halls but not by the great Professor McGonagall for she had always sensed my presence and tonight it would be no different.<p>

As the minutes tick by I start to pace nervously she is taking far longer than I thought she would and as these precious minutes tick by I know that soon I'll be hunted again, just like I have been all across Europe since he rose to power once more. I can hold my own against them but its all been leading me back here; to the place of my childhood, the one place in all the world that I've ever felt safe and yet pacing here I've never felt so sacred in my entire life. I'm being hunted by the Dark Lord for reasons unknown to me and yet I've decided to throw myself into the line of fire by coming here; by offering my assistance to the one woman who I once loved all those years ago, the woman who I failed to meet upon her graduating year because of circumstances beyond my control.

Finally I hear the old wooden doors creak open and the familiar steps of someone I once knew so well, sure they've aged but that doesn't matter to me as I feel my heart skip a beat at least it would if it was still beating but it hasn't pumped blood into my veins for quite sometime but that's a tale for another day and isn't the reason I am here.

"Who goes there?" I smile as that familiar Scottish accent works its way to my ears and I can't help but chuckle, "Professor McGonagall, I'm glad you came. I was beginning to think that Snape might find me on school grounds without permission. I can't stop my dear Minerva just know that when the time comes I'll fight beside you and I'm sorry for not making your graduation." with a slight turn I disapparated away from the grounds and to my families estate in southern England, only to find the wards unwilling to grant me entry. This curse of mine was beginning to grate as I turned and walked away into the darkness of the night, quite ironic considering what I am.

Professor Minerva McGonagall stood staring at the gates of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry uncertain as to what had just occurred. She had felt the wards shift from her private quarters and immediately came to investigate, but there had been no one within the grounds itself; but just outside the wrought iron gates. Thinking back over her words it seemed silly now to have uttered them but the response it earned her, sent her mind spinning. That voice, she hadn't heard that voice in over fifty years not since a year before her graduation from Hogwarts. It brought familiar feelings but also sadness, if something had drawn her back here then the wizarding world was in greater peril than even Minerva thought and why on earth would she come back to Hogwarts of all places; she didn't still hold feelings for me did she?

As the wind whipped around the grounds Professor McGonagall pulled her cloak closer around her and headed back into the castle, she would process tonight in the morning; between teaching and dodging the Carrows and keeping her students safe until such a time as the final battle drew near.

The weather in southern England was at least more favourable than the Scottish Highlands, and despite not being able to enter my family estate I could atleast enjoy the walk to the nearest hotel. Unlike most Witches and Wizards the 'muggle' world doesn't scare me in the slightest as I've had to adapt to living like a muggle since a most fateful day some fifty years prior blending in with them was easy; protecting them harder than it should have been but then again what the muggles didn't know wouldn't hurt them or so many Witches and Wizards believed but when the Dark Mark appeared above London all caution flew out the window and protecting muggles as well as the Wizarding community became a priority as I didn't belong to either world but could make a difference in both. My offer to Professor McGonagall had been sincere, I would return to protect Hogwarts when the time was right but until then I had to keep others safe from the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters; they had followed me across Europe now it was my turn to start hunting them.

The Golden Trio of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger had been hiding out at Shell Cottage since Dobby had rescued them from Malfoy Manor at the cost of his own life deciding on their next course of action in defeating Voldermort and destroying the remaining Horcruxes, Bellatrix Lestrange was furious to learn that the sword of Gryffindor had been taken from her vault at Gringotts despite Griphook telling her the sword was a fake and demanding to know what else the trio had stolen. Hemione shuddered as she remembered the torture Bellatrix had undertaken to get answers from her, answers that she didn't have. The Cruciatus Curse had left its mark on the young Gryffindor as well as the word 'Mudblood' that Bellatrix had carved into her skin; a reminder that despite her brilliance some in the wizarding world would always see her as nothing more than a Mudblood. Sighing she looked out over the sandy beach toward the horizon, her thoughts drifting back to happier times at Hogwarts before all this madness began and to the mentor that she had grown fond of during the years, Professor Minerva McGonagall. She smiled slightly despite everything, knowing that she had a place to return to; a home for that was what Hogwarts had become over the years and although she loved her parents dearly sending them away with no memory of her had been the hardest decision she'd ever made and yet she had told no one, not even Ron or Harry that she was truly now alone in the world. One day, she thought as the waves lapped upon the shore; I'll tell her how I feel and I can be truly happy and not looked upon with disdain. Hermione turned as she heard Ron and Harry walking up behind her, today was the day they'd break into Gringotts with Griphook disguised as Bellatrix Lestrange; today everything would start falling into place for the end.

Daybreak at Hogwarts had been met with a collected groan from many of the students, another day of duelling other students or being punished by Death Eaters for failing to do so. As Professor McGonagall greeted the day she remembered back to her encounter at the school gates the night before, as she rose from her bed her eyes scanned the bookshelf and fell upon an old photograph album; wordlessly summoning the album to she leafed through the worn pages until she paused on a familiar image smiling back at her. The soft smile that crept upon her lips couldn't be stopped as she stared at the image of Amelia Grey, covered in mud and holding her broomstick proudly having just come off the Quidditch pitch with the winning Ravenclaw team; Minerva had captured the candid image as a reminder of how good the young woman was a Quidditch and how she had managed to capture her heart since her first year. Despite being in different houses they had become fast friends, their love for Quidditch and studying had helped immensely and soon that friendship had turned into something more. Without realising it soft tears began to fall as Minerva remembered their last night at Hogwarts, right before Amelia graduated. It was everything one could have hoped for and more and Amelia left Minerva with a promise, that she would be back in exactly one year for her own graduation and would whisk Minerva off her feet; but the year passed and despite the frequent Owls and the devoted words Amelia never arrived at Hogwarts for Minerva's graduation nor did she send an Owl to explain her absence, as the years moved on so did Minerva becoming an Animagus and a Master in Transfiguration before she returned to Hogwarts to teach; in all that time she had never met Amelia nor heard from her until now. Fifty years later and the young woman she had once been madly in love with had returned to Hogwarts with a promise, to help against the Dark Lord when it was needed and with an apology that had been a long time in coming; still Minerva McGonagall couldn't understand it and her appearance raised more questions than it did answers. Perhaps when this war was over she get the truth but until then lessons needed teaching and students needed protecting, tearing herself away from the album and heading into her en-suite to prepare for the day; Minerva McGonagall was heading into her own battle for the day and what an exhausting day it was going to be.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **Once again only Amelia Grey belongs to me, the rest belongs to JK Rowling. I'm merely borrowing them for a while.

**Author's Note: **Thank you for the story alerts to this. I hope that you enjoy the second chapter. I'll be revealing more about Amelia as the chapters progress.

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><p>Wand-less spell casting wasn't something one mastered in a day, oh no to become a master in wand-less spell casting one had to train diligently for many years; but even with such demanding training it was no secret that having a wand to cast magic was a lot easier and allowed more self control. Casting was slightly different but the drain on the magical core was about the same if not more so depending on the spell cast, as Amelia was finding out this night. It had been just shy of fifty years since she last held a wand within her hands, having misplaced hers during a rather tense battle against Grindelward in Europe and had come to rely on wand-less spell casting over the years as no matter how many times she tried to use a wand, her magic never responded in kind like it had with her original. She had trained with an old master in eastern Europe and had become quite adept at casting but it was always draining and had become a practise that she rarely performed unless in extreme danger. Adapting to living like a muggle had its advantages but when up against powerful Death Eaters, muggle ways were really no match for magic in all its wonderful glory.<p>

Amelia's walk had been interrupted by a loud scream and despite the potential danger to herself she had entered the fray without really thinking and had come across a young muggle girl and two Death Eaters who were trying to either capture or kill her; it was a little hard to determine which. A flash of red light brought Amelia to her senses and within moments of the curse leaving the Death Eaters wand she was in front of the girl, allowing the cruciatus curse to strike her rather than the girl. The curse radiated over her body for a moment before disappearing leaving her unharmed, much to the dismay of the Death Eater who had sent the curse at the young girl. A low growl was heard in the immediate silence that followed; before the words,

"Petrificus Totalus" echoed across the street binding the Death Eater to the spot, causing them to fall backwards onto the hardened concrete, not liking how the evening was turning out the other Death Eater soon fled unwilling to face whomever had come to protect the girl. The pain from the cruciatus curse still lingered in Amelia's joints although you wouldn't know unless you looked really hard for she had learnt to adapt to the cruciatus curse and to the killing curse throughout her years in hiding sometimes being the creature that she was had its advantages.

With the last of her reserves she summoned her Patronus which resembled a cat, sending a message to Professor McGonagall,

"Minerva, a muggle child has been attacked by Death Eaters. Send help quickly." as her Patronus disappeared into the early morning light, Amelia turned to the young girl she had helped who was still visibly shaking from her ordeal. Dropping down to her knees she gently placed her fingers under the girls chin and lifted it up offering the terrified girl a bright warm smile,

"Your safe now, little one." she managed before the girl lunged at her, wrapping her arms around Amelia's neck and sobbing even harder; she stiffened not used to the contact from another human being and gently prised the sobbing girl from her neck,

"I need to get you home, can you show me the way?" the girl nodded, rising to her feet Amelia offered her hand and allowed the girl to lead the way.

Not many things surprised Professor Minerva McGonagall these days but the sight of a cat patronus that wasn't her own did and its message was even more startling, her encounter the night before had already been fresh in her mind but now Amelia had made direct contact using her patronus something Minerva had never seen before; part of her was delighted that it had taken the form of a cat for it meant that Amelia still held a connection to her but the news it brought was grave indeed.

Due to the hour, Minerva herself couldn't go so she set about informing members of the Order of Phoenix to Amelia's last known position and the potential threat of a Death Eater content that for now her work was done and she could begin the school day safe in the knowledge that her former lover was safe for the time being at least.

As the little girl led Amelia to her house, never letting go of her hand the horizon gave way to the first rays of sunshine; warming the child and causing her protector to sigh a little. It had been an age since she watched the sunrise and truly appreciated it, in fact the last time she had taken the time to do so had been at Hogwarts; wrapped safely in the arms of her beloved Minerva. Oh how times had changed since then, finally the girl stopped at a typical muggle looking house and looked up at Amelia,

"This is my house, thank you for bringing me back" she managed as a young woman came running out of the front door, Amelia smiled and looked at the young girl for just a moment longer,

"Your special, you know and I think destined to do great things." the girl merely nodded at Amelia's words before running into the arms of her mother who glanced over at Amelia with gratitude,

"Thank you bringing her home safely, those men just came in and took her. I didn't have time to get to my..." her words trailed off uncertain as to whether or not she should reveal her magical heritage to the stranger on her doorstep,

"Think nothing of it, just one friend helping out another. I'm glad I was able to bring her back to you and I meant what I said, she's special and I'm sure will make you very proud." with a slight smile Amelia turned and headed back along the road the young girl had just led her down, the sound of the child's laughter vibrating in her ears as the family headed back inside to the safety of their home.

The need and desire to rest and feed was slowly creeping up on Amelia, fighting the Death Eater had just speeded up the inevitable but she wasn't in a well populated city just a small town somewhere in southern England and taking care of either desire would undoubtedly cause a stir in the muggle world and alert He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named to her whereabouts, with an image in her head she turned and a familiar 'CRACK' resounded as she disapparated leaving the small town.

The Order of Phoenix found the body bound Death Eater who was mumbling incoherently about an inhumane creature having attacked him as he tried to take the muggle girl, something about yellow eyes and growling was all Tonks and Lupin were able to get out of him before he passed out. As with most Death Eaters that were caught, they took him away for questioning not truly believing his story but willing to listen all the same.

Arriving in the densely populated town of Portsmouth, a coastal town in southern England known mainly for its Naval Base and World Heritage site; Amelia set about doing two things. One to find somewhere to sleep the day away and two to find something that would satisfy her hunger. Times like these she wished she had an invisibility cloak as it would make sneaking into muggle hospitals a lot easier considering she couldn't just go to St Mungo's and ask for what she needed there although they perhaps would be more accepting of her condition but pride kept the former Ravenclaw away; much like it had for the last fifty years. Finding the blood bank and slipping at least a week's supply into her inner robes, she fled the muggle hospital and blended seamlessly into the crowds of tourists as she made her way around the city; until finally in an old abandoned muggle building she allowed herself to feed and for sleep to finally overcome her, little did she know that today would be one of the last spent in peaceful slumber. For the end was drawing ever closer and the time to right old wrongs would finally come to pass.

Albus Dumbledore looked down from his portrait in Minerva McGonagall's room and spied the photograph album she had been looking at earlier, a familiar smile began to grace his lips as he remembered the young Ravenclaw; stuidious and attentive her intelligence had been just right for Ravenclaw but her determination on the Quidditch pitch would have made her a proud Gryffindor as well but the Sorting Hat had chosen well in placing her in Ravenclaw and it was her intelligence that made her realise coming back for Minerva in her condition would have been a mistake despite it being a heart-breaking moment; that had defined her life.

Shifting from his portrait and back into the one in the Headmaster's office his gaze fell upon the many tomes and volumes on the shelves until they settled on a lone black wand box, high up on the forth shelf. It had resided there for fifty years give or take and no-one would even think to take the box down from its resting place for many just assumed it was an old box and held nothing of value but alas many would be wrong in thinking that. For this box contained an elm wood, 12 ¾ in. dragon heartstring wand with the words _'MM & AG Forever'_ engraved into its handle and was once the proud possession of Amelia Grey who had lost said wand in a battle with Grindelward and his followers, Dumbledore had been fortunate to retrieve it but had never been able to return it for Amelia disappeared into the shadows not long after his timely arrival taking an injured Minerva with him.

To this day he was certain that Minerva hadn't realise just who had been trying to save her before his arrival and he couldn't bear to break her heart with the news that he had retrieved her lover's wand from the burnt out remains of the building in which she had been held captive; but it seemed that now there was a hope of returning it to its rightful owner if the rumours circulating amongst the portraits was correct, then Amelia Grey had apparated onto the grounds of Hogwarts with a promise to return for the final battle.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** Again I own nothing aside from Amelia Grey.

**Author's Note:** Here's Chapter Three, once again all mistakes are my own as this hasn't been beta'd.

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><p>A dreamless sleep potion would have been welcome if it meant that Amelia got more than a few hours rest before being woken by a reoccurring nightmare. Despite coming to terms with what she had become her subconscious still struggled with the ramifications of the lives she had taken and the life she had led up until this point. It had taken years to come to terms with what she was and many a heated conversation with her peers into the pros and cons of what she could do. Unlike others of her kind she was able to pass as a human and walk in the daylight, could feign breathing when necessary and thanks to her magic still possessed her soul making her an outcast in both the magical and the muggle world.<p>

Throughout the years she had stuck to the shadows, never allowing her presence to be felt by those that knew her as a student at Hogwarts. She had watched as her lover had faced great hardship during the war with Grindelward, despite her efforts to contrary. Learning that Dumbledore himself had taken credit for saving Minerva McGonagall, when she was the one who had taken on his followers and weakened them significantly until his arrival; but had been forced into the shadows due to her condition and could only watch as her beloved was taken away to safety and away from her once again. Amelia had followed Minerva's progress, had watched as she left the Ministry of Magic and returned to Hogwarts to teach and despite her better judgement had continued to watch her from afar as the years wore on.

The longing she felt had faded over time, for she knew that what they once shared would never be again but that didn't make the realisation any easier to bare; and she had seen a familiar glint in Minerva's eyes in regard to one of her students and knew instantly that she too had moved on. For a while that had been hard to comprehend but when she thought logically about it, well then it didn't hurt so much and once things had settled down she would convince her former lover to take a chance on love once more; sometimes watching from the shadows meant that your saw everything when in truth on such occasions you just wished to fade away. With a sigh Amelia rose to her feet and took a deep breath, for sleep would not come again this night and with a 'CRACK' disapparated.

Breaking into Gringotts had been difficult to say the least, although somehow they had managed it despite the magical wards in place to stop thieves getting to the vaults. The magical protection had washed away Hermione and Ron's disguises as Bellatrix Lestrange and an unknown Death Eater and with Griphook's assistance they had entered the Lestrange vault, the vault itself was guarded by a Dragon and both Flagrante and Gemino curses were enchanted on to each item. Harry, Ron and Hermione were able to over come these obstacles and retrieve Helga Hufflepuff's Cup before fleeing on Dragon, making their break in one of the most memorable. As they fled over London on the back of the Dragon, the realisation that this could soon be over began to dawn on them and for a while each was lost in their own thoughts.

After dropping from the back of the Dragon into the cold waters of an unknown Loch, the Golden Trio swam to shore and quickly dried and dressed; before grinning at each other at what they had accomplished. Harry and Ron began talking leaving Hermione alone with her thoughts for a moment,

_'Soon we'll be back at Hogwarts, I hope that you are still there and safe. Minerva, my dear Minerva I'm coming back for you and when this is over I'm going to tell you despite my fears that I love you; that I'm in love with you and want to spend the rest of my days with you. So my love, hold on a little longer.'_

She allowed a faint smile to appear as she thought about the reunion to come unbeknownst to her that Professor McGonagall was anticipating another reunion with an old friend, but Hermione's mind was made up and she could only hope that Minerva McGonagall felt the same way. Soon the Golden Trio decided to head to Hogsmeade as it was the nearest they could get to Hogwarts without being detected and from there they would make their way up to the Castle and to the final battle against Voldemort.

Apparating on little sleep was never a bright idea especially when the destination you had in mind shifted the moment you turned and instead of arriving in the snowy village of Hogsmeade you wind up on the grounds of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and as fate would have deemed it right in front of one Severus Snape, acting Headmaster of said school; who didn't look at all pleased. Minerva had felt the wards shift again with the same presence as two nights prior and despite the late hour felt compelled to investigate, walking briskly down the corridors to the front doors and onward to the front gates. As her pace quickened she spied Severus and the apparent intruder just beyond the gates, a flick of her wand and the gates opened at her command,

"Severus, have you caught the intruder?" she asked her Scottish brogue filtering through to Amelia's senses causing her to smile slightly despite her predicament,

"This woman just apparated on to school grounds, I believe she is a spy for He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and plan on throwing her in the dungeon. No-one has gotten this close to the school before without reason" he paused for a moment, "Petrificus Totalus" she felt the curse before her body went rigid, not even she had mastered the ability to counter this as she felt her body constrict against its will. Cruciatus and Killing curses were absorbed into her but a body-binding curse still did exactly what it said on the tin. For a moment her world went black as she closed her eyes and forced herself to mimic breathing, for it wouldn't help her cause if Severus Snape thought her dead.

When the curse wore off sometime later, Amelia noted she had been moved from the cold wet grass that surrounded the castle and was currently lying on the cold hard stone of a dungeon cell; who knew that Hogwarts actually had dungeon cells unless they were an addition since He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had taken over the school. To her surprise she felt the familiar warmth of candle light, turning over she noticed a figure sitting outside the barred room; reading the latest copy of Transfiguration Today. Her eyes quickly roamed over the figure noticing certain aspects that she once knew oh so well and so intimately before she settled on those bright Emerald eyes that seemed a lot duller than they should be and the slight greying hair tied resolutely into a bun. Amelia coughed and sat up-right waiting for her once beloved Minerva to look at her.

The cough brought Minerva McGonagall away from the latest article in Transfiguration Today with a slight jump, she hadn't expected her counter curse to work so quickly but it seemed that it had and the young woman Severus had found on the school grounds was now sitting up and looking more alert than she had earlier. Severus had charged her with finding out who she was and what she was doing on school grounds and if her answers weren't satisfactory then he'd allow the Carrows to take over, Minerva had been adamant that she would be able to get the answers Severus sought without the need to resort to torture.

For a moment she merely held the young woman's gaze before her gaze roamed over the very dishevelled looking woman, her cloak was torn in various places and her long dark hair clearly hadn't been brushed in quite sometime and there seemed to be dirt covering any patch of skin that wasn't covered by her cloak, all in all she looked terrible but something was also strikingly familiar about her.

"Are you going to say anything or just continue staring at me, my dear Minerva don't tell me I've rendered you speechless?" a soft chuckled filled the air as Minerva took a deep breath, that voice could only belong to one person but that person hadn't been seen in over fifty years,

"A...Melia?" her voice constricted right at the last moment as the woman in the cell stood up and pulled her outside robe from her frame, dressed in simple muggle clothes but finally standing at her full height and with a simple muttered spell her hair returning to its normal straightness she smiled broadly and nodded.

For a moment Minerva was lost in a memory of a younger Amelia and herself heading out to Hogsmeade for the day, arms wrapped around each other and laughing over mis-fired spell in a previous days class before she shook the memory away and glared at the woman before her,

"By Merlin, where the hell have you been for the last fifty years? I waited for you and you never came back for me. I thought you dead and you look barely a day over Eighteen, you owe me an explanation Miss Grey" the venom behind her voice didn't go unnoticed by Amelia and in truth she had been expecting it but what hurt most of all was the fact Minerva had called her 'Miss Grey' as if she was one of her students who had been caught breaking school rules and not someone she was once madly in love with.

"Its a long story, Min. One I don't think we have time for right now." she dropped her head and stared at her feet, not wanting to meet Minerva's gaze. This wasn't how she planned their reunion to go, stupid apparating and her stupid mind for bringing her here instead of Hogsmeade.

"For once your right Miss Grey, Headmaster Snape wants to know what you were doing on school grounds, are you a spy for He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named? Do you bear the Dark Mark? Just what are your intentions?" Minerva hurried over the questions, wanting this ordeal to be over with,

"I happened to apparate here, I intended to apparate to Hogsmeade until I was needed seems my mind had other ideas. A spy for that foul creature, surely you jest Min. I have been hunted across Europe by his followers, I hardly think I'd join him." Amelia paused and pulled up the sleeves of her muggle jumper, revealing on one arm the words 'pureblood traitor' and 'traitor' on the other causing Minerva to gasp slightly but secretly pleased that there was no Dark Mark evident, "Just scars from torture and no Dark Mark, really can't believe that you of all people Min would think I'd join up with him. He tortures Muggles, Witches and Wizards alike without mercy, just thinking about it makes me sick." she added her gaze holding with that of Minerva's, her bright blue eyes never faltering as she spoke with such conviction,

"You could always use Veritaserum to find out the truth but I'd like to think that despite the years part of you still trusts me." she added hoping that her words would be enough to convince her former lover that she was indeed telling the truth,

"I believe you, although I'm not sure if Severus will. I shall go and tell him what you've told me. Get some rest Amelia I think your going to need it." and with that Minerva McGonagall swept out of the dungeons her robes flowing behind her, leaving Amelia alone with just her thoughts.

_'I promised once that I'd come back for you, but my condition meant I could never be what you needed in life; so I stayed away but at what cost to you? The spark is missing from your eyes, was that down to me or this War? Did I unintentionally break your heart like I broke mine? My dear Minerva, I'm sorry, so sorry.'_

And for the first time, in such a long time the tears started to fall and for once Amelia Grey didn't want them to stop.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **Once again I own nothing but Amelia Grey, J.K Rowling owns all. I'm just borrowing the characters for a while.

**Author's Note:** Here's the next chapter, which I hope you enjoy. Thank you SheIsMySin for the review on Chapter Two.

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><p>Walking briskly away from the dungeons Minerva McGonagall headed towards the Headmasters Office, pausing only briefly to take a deep calming breath and to usher some students into their house dormitories before curfew. Having seen no evidence of the Dark Mark nor any other allegiance to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, Minerva hoped that Snape would take her word for it and leave Amelia in the dungeons until the battle was over; if he decided to use Veritaserum then Minerva was certain she'd learn the cold hard truth as to why Amelia had left and part of her wasn't ready to deal with that yet.<p>

Reaching the Headmaster's Office; located in the Headmaster's Tower she paused by the Gargoyle,

"Slytherin" she managed through gritted teeth, her Gryffindor pride making an appearance as the Gargoyle moved granting her entry into the Headmaster's Office; off all the names to use as a password why did it have to be that. She found Headmaster Severus Snape sat behind a large oak desk, the same desk that once belonged to Albus Dumbledore and the desk that should belong to her.

"Well Professor McGonagall, did she divulge if she worked for He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?" Snape asked without greeting Minerva formally,

"She proclaims not to work for him and does not bare the Dark Mark, apparently she apparated here by mistake." Minerva added watching Snape intently, hoping that her words alone would be enough to convince him,

"Curious isn't it that she should apparate here yet proclaim not to work for Him, I think I'll let the Carrows have a go at her; see if they can't loosen her tongue." he smirked a little as he rose from his desk, walking around Minerva and out of the door leaving the former Headmistress alone in the room.

The moment the door closed behind Snape the portraits awoke from their slumber, or what many would perceive to be slumber; many of them didn't respect Snape's position as Headmaster so dutifully ignored his presence and warmly greeted Professor McGonagall as she remained in his office. She smiled at all of them and bid them good evening as she turned to leave before being stopped in her tracks by an all too familiar voice,

"Minerva, wait just a moment." she turned to face the portrait of Albus Dumbledore, her face betraying her feelings in that moment,

"Yes, Albus?" she managed, the sadness etched into her reply,

"You need to retrieve something from this office before you leave, and give it to our guest in the dungeon." he smiled sadly, his bright blue eyes still twinkling even as a portrait,

"What are you talking about Albus? There is nothing here that would benefit Miss Grey" her emerald eyes flashed with annoyance, as she looked at the portrait once more,

"On the contrary, four shelf up I believe you will find a black wand box." Albus replied, gesturing toward the shelf.

Minerva looked up and sure enough, buried amongst the many tomes and volumes that made up the vast library of the Headmaster's office was indeed a black wand box; she sighed slightly,

"Accio, wand box" with a subtle flick of her wand the box flew from the shelf and into her hands, gently she placed it on the desk and opened it. Nestled safely inside the box was an elm wood, 12 ¾ in. dragon heartstring wand with the words _'MM & AG Forever' _engraved into the handle, Amelia's wand.

-Flashback-

_'Min, I've got a surprise for you' came Amelia's cheery voice as she entered the Great Hall for dinner, completely ignoring her friends at the Ravenclaw table and walking straight over to her lover at the Gryffindor table and settling down beside her whilst giving a wave to the Ravenclaws,_

_'A surprise? But you already spoilt me this weekend.' replied Minerva, smiling widely at her girlfriend,_

_"You deserve to be spoiled Min and this is just a prelude to something bigger, but here." with a smile Amelia placed her wand onto the Gryffindor table to show Minerva what she'd been able to transcribe into the handle for a moment Minerva was speechless as she ran her fingers over the words engraved into Amelia's wand, 'MM & AG Forever' before she wrapped her arms around Amelia's neck and pulled her into a bone crunching embrace,_

_"You have no idea what this means to me" she whispered in her lover's ear before pulling back and giving her a chaste kiss on the cheek,_

_"Now off to dinner with you before the Ravenclaws get even more jealous of me." she added presenting Amelia with her wand and lightly pushing her toward her House table, with a small bow and a bright smile Amelia skipped over to the Ravenclaw table and sat down for dinner; the smile never leaving despite the teasing her house-mates were giving her. Dinner passed without further incident and both Amelia and Minerva went there separate ways but not before a brief display of affection and a promise to meet up tomorrow._

_As Amelia climbed the stairs to the Ravenclaw common room one of her friends Rebecca asked the question they'd all been wanting an answer to, "So then Amelia when are you going to ask McGonagall to marry you?" if Amelia seemed surprised at the question then she didn't show it merely turned and smirked slightly at her friend, "When I come back to whisk her off her feet at her graduation, I've got a whole year to plan and make it perfect but I assure you I'm going to make her my wife" she grinned widely as she slipped past the bronze door knocker as someone had already given the correct answer to its posed riddle and into the common room._

_Minerva slowly made her way to the Gryffindor common room, still utterly surprised at what Amelia had done to her wand. Such a spell was hard to work let alone be successful yet her beloved had not only mastered the spell but enchanted it upon her own wand. It was such a sweet gesture and welcomed considering that Amelia was due to graduate in a few weeks, for the first time in a while Minerva felt that what she had with Amelia was going to last; if only fate would deem to be so kind._

-End Flashback-

The tears fell silently as the memory of the day Amelia presented her engraved wand to Minerva at dinner flashed before her, it had been one of the happiest days of her time at Hogwarts and despite the teasing she had endured throughout dinner by the rest of the Gryffindor table it had certainly been worth it; the commitment Amelia had shown in that one act was something that Minerva held on to the following year knowing that no matter where her love was that part of her was always with her which made the betrayal so much harder to bear.

"Minerva, when He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is defeated and before she leaves again talk to her. You'll never move on unless you know her reasons for not returning, even though part of you has moved on already; she is the final piece left to restore your heart. Don't let this moment pass you by, don't let love pass you by again because of the pain from the past." Albus spoke softly and with compassion as Minerva willed the tears to stop,

"How did you get this?" she asked looking once again at the wand,

"I found it after the battle with Grindelward in the burnt out building, I couldn't be certain if she was alive or dead and wanted to spare you the pain so I placed it here for safe keeping until I could return it; but I now must entrust that task to you." he sighed, well as much as a portrait can as he looked at his former Deputy,

"You should have told me, Albus then maybe I wouldn't have held on for so long. I'll return the wand and speak with her once this is over. I doubt she'll be in much of a position to help after the Carrows have dealt with her then again she is full of mystery these days." she picked up the wand and placed it securely within her robes, "I bid you all a good night, hopefully someday soon order shall be restored to Hogwarts and my students won't tremble in fear at being within these hallowed halls." and with those words Minerva McGonagall strode out of the Headmaster's Office and back to her own personal chambers, the past weighing heavily on her mind and on the young woman she once loved down in the dungeons at the mercy of the Carrows.

Meanwhile, else where in the Castle,

Amelia had lost count of how many times the cruciatus curse had been fired at her, and how many times she had felt its effects right down to her bones yet still they kept coming. She had admitted to nothing, repeated what she had told Minerva moments before yet the curses kept coming; what Snape hoped to learn from this she wasn't sure but so far he had learnt very little and from his posture was growing increasingly bored. Another two were fired at her when Snape finally called a halt to the torture, proclaiming that the _'pureblood traitor' _had nothing of worth to give them, signalling for the Carrows to do as they pleased; a swift kick to the abdomen later and all three of them left the dungeon leaving Amelia curled up on the cold hard floor. Slowly as the last two curses faded she stretched out, wincing as her joints protested at being forced to stretch so quickly after such an ordeal but remaining in a curled up position wasn't going to help matters either. If breathing had been an issue, Amelia was certain she would be panting now as the pain from the cruciatus curse finally settled in her joints.

There was a reason she hadn't been near a medical professional for almost fifty years, despite her condition she was certain that the majority if not all of her bones had suffered small fractures over the years but had always healed due to her accelerated healing, tonight would be no different but the coldness of the dungeon floor would add a new dimension to it. She reached for her torn outer robe and pulled the fabric over her, it wouldn't provide any warmth for she didn't need any but it would allow her to feel safe despite the circumstances; a soft noise made its way to her ears as she looked down at the stone floor, a glint of gold shining back at her. Gingerly she reached for the ring and held it up close scrutinising the words she had engraved upon it all those years ago, closing her fingers around it she pulled it closer to her knowing that what was once could never be again, and if her heart could beat she was certain it would be breaking.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing bar Amelia Grey.

**Author's Note:** Here's the next chapter. I'm heading away for a couple of days so not sure when the next chapter will be up. I hope you enjoy this and feel free to review. Thanks!

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><p>To many the early morning sunrise was something to bask in, something to enjoy with a friend or a lover; to Amelia Grey however it signalled the time to retreat back into the shadows at least that's what part of her wanted to do. But her ability to walk in the daylight meant she normally resisted the urge to hide from its warming rays, down in the darkened dungeons being able to sense the rising of the sun was a blessing for it meant a new day had dawned and with it the chance of making amends for the past. Slowly pulling the cloak away from her frame she sat up and pushed the gold ring back into her pocket, it would do her no good to dwell on what might have been. Having the ring with her was meant to bring closure and allow her the peace she so desired, to show Minerva McGonagall that she had tried to keep her promise even if now it became a simple gesture of a love long since lost.<p>

More students had disappeared, Professor McGonagall noticed at breakfast that morning and it pained her a little. The atmosphere in the castle was as gloomy as the Scottish weather that had deemed to remain in a perpetual state of rain. Where had the students disappeared too she wondered and were they safe from the prying eyes of the Death Eaters that patrolled the school, had they found a way out of the castle without being detected and if so had they gone to get help. All these questions plagued the Professor as she pushed her food around her plate, her appetite gone from just thinking about it; even her beloved Cubs had succumbed to the despair that had settled on the school grounds although they tried very hard to keep their Gryffindor pride showing in the face of such adversity. A quick glance over the House tables of Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw mirrored the despair she felt in her heart, bruised, battered and exhaustion was etched onto many faces whilst the Slytherins seemed to glow, not a mark to be seen on any of them. Looking away, Professor McGonagall pushed back her chair and walked out of the Great Hall; head held high as she passed the Gryffindor house table and a soft smile aimed at both Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff for a moment their despair lifted as she walked pass them before the doom and gloom returned as she finally exited the Great Hall, taking what some believed a bit of their hope with her.

She flew past a group of Slytherins as she made her way down to the dungeons, she had a promise to keep to Albus after all. Although she knew she couldn't release Amelia from her cell the least she could do was re-unite her with her wand. She paused as she reached the barred door, momentarily stunned at what she saw; Amelia was sat with a pouch at her lips and was gulping it down as if her very life depended on it, from the slight candle light that illuminated the cell and the corridor Minerva could see that it was a deep red but had no clue as to what it was. She watched as Amelia pulled the pouch away from her mouth, two elongated fangs evident before they magically seemed to retreat as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand before looking up. Amelia's eyes locked with Minerva's immediately standing to her feet with a look of both horror and shame flickering across her features,

"Professor..." she managed before her head dropped, "Minerva..Min...I can explain" her voice was barely above a whisper as she lifted her head back up to face her former friend/lover, acquaintance for she truly didn't know what they were any more, emerald eyes looked back at her full of confusion and apprehension,

"Please do, Amelia. I think I am owed an explanation despite the current circumstances." came the soft reply,

"Do you remember our last night together before I graduated?" she asked, taking the nod from Minerva as cause to continue,

"I promised I would be back within the year for your graduation and that I would have an even bigger surprise for you than I did when I carved our initials into my wand, I had told my closest friends in Ravenclaw that I was going to come back and propose to you." if she heard Minerva gasp she didn't allow it to register as she continued on with her explanation,

"I travelled to Eastern Europe, Romania to be exact to study both magic and muggles. I had no desire to become an Auror nor join the Ministry of Magic, I had planned to study for a year and then come back for you. I was out after dark one night when I was attacked; paralysed by a curse which meant I couldn't get to my wand in order to defend myself, I felt something pierce the skin of my neck and slowly began to feel faint before I passed out completely. I awoke sometime later and was forced to drink blood from my attacker's wrist; something happened that I can't explain. My magic manifested itself for a moment and anchored my soul to my body when it should have been forced to leave by the demon that now resided within me. The creature that had attacked me I later learned was a vampire and he had turned me into one at the request of his master who wanted to see how magical beings differed from muggles. For weeks I was subject to his experimentations and torture, I was no longer a pureblood, no longer alive yet I could still walk in the daylight and if I so desired breath like a normal muggle would. He poked and prodded me, carved into my skin to see if I would scar or heal, burnt me with both muggle fire and magical fire to see which I reacted to the strongest. Fired all three unforgivable curses at me to see if any would cause me to turn into a pile of dust but none did, they merely fractured my bones and dissipated into my joints. It wasn't until I heard someone mention the date that I began to fight back, I had a promise to keep; I broke free and was able to summon my wand before using Incendio to set the house ablaze in my fury at having been so weak, so much for the intelligent Ravenclaw" she paused for a moment and looked up at Minerva who eyes were filling with tears as she listened to Amelia's tale, for a moment she wanted to reach out and pull her former lover into her arms but resisted,

"I travelled back across Europe, the hunger of a vampire isn't pleasant and I was forced to feed on muggles to stay alive, I sent you many an owl telling you I was coming and that I still loved you, I got as far as the school gates when I realised the wards would not recognise me; nor would they grant me entry and so I took a long hard look at those gates and made a choice that I would regret for the rest of my days. I realised in that moment if Hogwarts didn't recognise me as the former Ravenclaw student that had left only a year prior then it wasn't fair to subject you to the creature I had become. With a heavy heart I turned away and apparated back to an abandoned muggle house in Europe, vowing to protect you from the dangers of the world and from me. I spent many days trying to write to you before I gave up the notion, nothing I wrote would be good enough for the woman I loved with my very soul. I took solace in knowing you were my reason for living, I saved you against Grindelward before retreating once again; I lost my wand and dedicated my life to blending in with muggles and finding another way to deal with my condition." she stopped and took a long hard look at Minerva McGonagall pulling the ring from her pocket, she placed it in her palm and held it out towards her,

"I've kept this for fifty-years never knowing if I'd get the chance to give it to you. I know that what we had can never be, but I wanted you to know that I always planned to come back and to make an honest woman out of you. I love you Min, always have and always will but its time to let go of the past. I cannot be what you need in this life but I know there is someone out there who is, don't give up on that love, fight for it with every breath you take. I'm sorry, so sorry for never coming back to tell you, forgive me please." Minerva's shaking hand reached for the ring that Amelia held, she rolled it around her fingers for a moment before reading the inscription a small smile tugging at her lips as she placed the ring back into Amelia's outstretched palm,

"We can't go back" came Minerva's shaky reply, "Forgiving you won't be easy and right now I can't even contemplate doing such a thing, you broke my heart more times than I care to remember and now you are here with a fifty year old apology. Albus asked me to return this to you, I cannot free you from this cell for it will arouse suspicion but I need you to be ready when the time comes." she placed Amelia's wand into her outstretched hand, she could feel the pinpricks of magic as the wand returned to its rightful owner. Amelia pulled her hand back, tucking the ring back into her pocket and placing the wand inside the robes she had discarded on the floor,

"I need time to process your tale, consult with a few people about your condition but your right I will fight for the love of the woman I am madly, deeply in love with; once this battle is over I plan to tell her as for you..." Minerva's voice drifted as she tried to comprehend the situation before her, Amelia had told her story and Minerva had listened her heart breaking yet feeling so deeply angered at the same time, why had she come back now when the wizarding world was in such turmoil; unless and this thought was truly frightening she had come back to die.

"It's alright Minerva, I'll bide my time and wait. I hope you find the answers you need in regard to me just know that I'm truly sorry." came Amelia's short reply as she turned away from Minerva and walked to the opposite side of her cell, "Don't you have a class to teach?" she managed, which caused Minerva to nod briefly before hastily exiting the dungeon being late to class was not a good idea even though she was a Professor.

For once classes seemed to fly by, which enabled Professor McGonagall to return to her private chambers an hour before dinner; she scanned her vast bookshelf looking for anything that might correlate Amelia's story. Of course there was the muggle book about Count Dracula but that was a work of fiction by Bram Stoker as well as folklore tales from the Balkans and Eastern Europe that had been documented so there could be some truth to Amelia's story with a sigh she looked away from the bookshelf; perhaps a medical examination would shed some light on Amelia's condition but under what grounds could she get Madam Pomfrey down to the dungeons to see her aside from pulling a favour from an old friend. Before heading down to dinner she decided to head down to the dungeons to see how Amelia was fairing but stopped as she reached the lower steps, she could hear the screams and couldn't bring herself to enter further.

At the end of afternoon lessons, the Carrows had returned to the dungeons after Headmaster Snape had given them permission to do as they pleased with the prisoner they had taken great delight in doing just that. Amelia hadn't screamed at being tortured for over a century but these two weren't just cruel they were barbaric. A dozen curses and a physical beating later the Carrows left the dungeons and headed back up to the Great Hall for dinner, relishing in the knowledge that detentions would be following soon after. Hidden in her animagus form, the Carrows didn't notice Professor McGonagall as she darted along the corridor to Amelia's cell with the full grace of the tabby cat she was before turning back into her human form and letting out a gasp at the scene before her. Still visibly shaking from the number of crucio curses that had been fired at her and the pooling of blood on the floor from the various cuts inflicted, without a moments pause Minerva summoned her patronus and sent it with a message to Madam Pomfrey requesting her assistance in the dungeons immediately,

"Alohomora_" _she whispered at the lock instantly hearing the door open before she entered and crouched down before Amelia,

"Help is coming" she softly whispered, gently brushing Amelia's hair from her face, it was then she realised how cold her skin was and that Amelia wasn't breathing. Before she could investigate further, Madam Pomfrey entered the dungeon cell and began working on Amelia by first casting a diagnostic spell which immediately revealed Amelia's curse and showed the cuts healing on their own. Delving deeper Madam Pomfrey saw the lasting damaged caused by various curses inflicted upon Amelia's body, she might be one of the undead but that didn't mean that curses hurt any less. The tiny fractures along many bones and the residue magic left in her joints was catalogued for both Minerva and Madam Pomfrey to see,

"Miss Grey, when was the last time you fed on a live muggle?" if the question was meant to shock it certainly didn't seem to as Amelia took an unnecessary breath before answering,

"Not for forty years or so, I make do on blood packets from muggle hospitals; failing that then pig's blood from muggle butchers. I don't like to drink from live muggles, its degrading" she managed before closing her eyes tightly as the last crucio curse finally wore off,

"I cannot do much for you here but when this is over I want you to go to St Mungo's, they will be able to help with your condition." came Madam Pomfrey's curt response as she turned to leave,

"Minerva we have to attend dinner, I assure you Miss Grey will be fine if a little achy come morning." Minerva nodded and took a final fleeting glance at Amelia who was still laying on the stone floor,

"Go Minerva, I don't want you getting into trouble for helping me. Madam Pomfrey, thank you for the assistance. I assure you both I shall be fine, I've handled a lot worse over the years and I was fortunate to feed this morning so that will help. The Carrows won't break me this easily and you need to show your students a bit of the old Gryffindor pride Minerva, they're scared and frightened and need someone to lead them in these dark times; even if its subtle. Soon the time will come to stand against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and I intend to protect your students even at the cost of my own life." as she spoke she moved into a sitting position to reinforce the message she was giving and offering a small smile to Minerva who returned the smile in kind as her and Madam Pomfrey left the dungeons and headed to dinner, leaving Amelia to survey the damage done by the Carrows to her already battered body.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing aside from Amelia Grey and the idea for this story. Everything else belongs to J.K Rowling.

**Author's Note: **Onwards to another chapter. Using the Department of Mysteries for the basis of this chapter, as there is more than one prophecy I thought I'd use the idea of one in this chapter. Mistakes once again are my own although I've done my upmost to ensure there are none. Feel free to review as always. Thanks for reading.

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><p>As Hermione leafed through the last few pages of The Tales of the Beedle Bard she was surprised to find a piece of parchment hidden at the very back of the book. From the looks of it the parchment was quite dated and from the writing, Hermione could see that it had been written by Albus Dumbledore; this was after all his book so that shouldn't have surprised her yet it did. The rest of the book was written in runes so to find something that wasn't was a surprise, a pleasant one at that. As she unfolded the parchment however her small smile soon turned into a frown; as she read the contents it foretold of a witch who had been subjected to an experiment in Eastern Europe, the experiment had been a great success but the life of the witch had never been the same again. As she continued to read, she learnt of Dumbledore's regret at having not aided the witch in question and spoke of the prophecy that could one day bring about her death. The prophecy had been made according to Dumbledore some two years prior to the witch leaving Hogwarts and had been placed into the Department of Mysteries without the witch ever gaining knowledge of the prophecy.<p>

Dumbledore himself had decided against telling her wanting her to enjoy the last two years of her schooling but after her graduation and subsequent disappearance he began to feel guilty, his guilt fuelled by the young woman's lover who for some time fell into a deep depression until he had been able to pull her from it. As she neared the end of the parchment Dumbledore spoke of the young witch being an important figure in the battle to come against Voldemort, and how dependant on her actions over the years would her curse finally be lifted either for the good or the bad of the wizarding community. Hermione shivered as she read the last of Dumbledore's words, it sounded like this witch could be even worse than Voldemort.

She was pulled from her thoughts by both Harry and Ron who whilst she had been reading had finished changing into warm clothes. Smiling softly at both of them she took a deep breath and put the piece of parchment back into her bag,

"So we're all decided on going back to Hogwarts to find the Horcrux but we can't go directly to the school as Snape's in charge so we need to apparate to Hogsmede and make our way from there." Harry spoke looking at both Ron and Hermione who both nodded in agreement. A moment later and a loud 'CRACK' echoed across the highlands as the three of them apparated to Hogsmede.

Back at Hogwarts things weren't getting any easier, the Carrows were taking great delight in torturing the students during detention and making snide remarks about the other Professors during mealtime in the Great Hall, they also found pleasure in torturing Amelia in the cells only unlike the first night she no longer screamed when they did so; using all of her inner strength to remain as stoic as possible.

Minerva had been worried about her well-being but was unable to do anything, so when she wasn't marking essays or correcting homework she could be found in her quarters reading up on the subject of vampires. A distinct cough roused her from her reading as she looked up at the portrait of Albus Dumbledore who had taken up residence in her quarters since Snape became Headmaster, unless he deemed it important enough to remain in the Headmaster's tower,

"Good Evening Albus, what can I do for you?" she asked wearily closing the book she was reading and stretching her aching muscles,

"There's something you need to know about Amelia, a prophecy written about her." he spoke softly as if unwilling to part the information to Minerva who suddenly seemed a lot more alert than she had previously,

"What are you talking about Albus, I know Amelia was a bright witch but a prophecy? Surely you're mistaken." her emerald green eyes held his gaze until he was forced to look away,

"I'm not mistaken, it was predicted two years before she left Hogwarts and unless Mr Potter and his friends destroyed it, it still resides in the Department of Mysteries. There is a reason curses remain within her and haven't yet killed her, she is the most powerful witch next to Voldemort and possesses the power to either help us or destroy us. Minerva if the time comes you must be willing to..." he didn't get a chance to finish before Minerva interrupted,

"Don't you dare finish that sentence, I believe in her and don't for one second believe she would destroy the wizarding world. If this prophecy is true then there are two outcomes to it and I'll hold onto it being the right outcome. You never told her about it, you allowed her to go off to Europe when her life was in danger and now your guilt causes you to confess. If you had told her then she'd be beside me right now as my wife and together we'd be facing Voldemort but instead we've both suffered great heartache and will never know what could have been. It broke my heart when she didn't return, you saw that for yourself and now when I have the chance to love another she reappears in my life and tells me to grasp it yet all the while I can tell she still feels for me like she did when we were at school and that causes heartache all over again." Minerva paused for a moment taking a deep breath,

"Another time, another life springs to mind in regard to myself and Amelia. I cannot change the past and neither can you, we both just have to hope that whatever happens to Amelia will in the end give her the peace she so desperately wants and if I have to be the one to do it then I will not shirk from my responsibility." she added with an air of finality before turning back to the essays on her desk,

"Thank you Minerva, I knew I could count on you" Albus added before heading out of his portrait and back to the one in the Headmaster's Tower.

Amelia stared at the iron bars that constituted the door to her current residence and sighed deeply, the Carrows had been back on more than one occasion either separately or together trying out new methods of torture to see if they could make her scream but each time she denied them causing them to give up and storm out of the dungeon. She had been contemplating her next move, the iron bars were an obstacle that was for sure but not one that was impossible to escape from however she had no desire to escape. Eventually the Dark Lord would come to the castle, soon the final battle would be fought and soon her own destiny would be decided. Throughout the years many wise wizards had spoken of a prophecy that they believe involved her considering what she was but she took each one with a pinch of salt not willing to believe that she would be instrumental in the fight against Voldemort nor that by the end of that fight she'd either be human or a demon depending on which way the magical imbalance decided to go and if it was the latter then needing someone to end her life as she had vowed a long time ago never to live as the demonic part of herself. Truth be told the entire idea of a prophecy involving her was perplexing, she had never been the strongest of witches whilst at Hogwarts; sure she excelled at Transfiguration and Charms and could hold her own in a duel against another student but she wasn't anything extraordinary. The only time she had truly outshone anyone was when she got into a duel with Tom Riddle in the courtyard because he'd said something insulting about Minerva and Amelia wasn't going to stand for it, and even then it was more her pride helping than her actual skill. Still, the idea of being human again had sometimes crossed her mind but knowing that she couldn't be with Minerva had dulled the feeling somewhat but knowing she could at least spend time with Minerva as a friend if she was as she once was made the notion something to ponder at least.


End file.
